Doris Matsui: “yesterday we heard the chairman of the Budget Committee say that this debate was really about Judeo-Christian ethics.…”

“yesterday we heard the chairman of the Budget Committee say that this debate was really about Judeo-Christian ethics. That is why I was somewhat disappointed last night when I read Congress Daily. In the Congress Daily we talked about welfare reform and we talked about what this debate was really all about. The chairman of the subcommittee that has jurisdiction over welfare was quoted as stating from a political point of view, the President of the United States is in a box. Madam Chairman, that is what this debate is all about--to jeopardize 9 million children who will be affected by this bill just to put the President of the United States in a box. What kind of people would draft legislation for political purposes to affect so many children of America? This bill is weak on work and tough on America's children. The Congressional Budget Office, their own agency, hired by the Republican House and Senate, has said that the 1.7 million jobs that the Republicans say will be created by a woman going off welfare is an illusion. It is deceptive, it is not going to happen, because they do not provide the resources for it. Their own agency has said they will not obtain those 1.7 million jobs. So this is not a jobs bill. This is not a bill to get people off of welfare into work. But the worst part of this bill is what it will do to children.”